When I heard that a Stranger Things comic was coming out, I wasn’t sure how it would work, as I didn’t want it to conflict with the canon of the show. But this was a clever idea and it was nicely executed, even if the tension didn’t work, as you knew how this would turn out based off of events in the show.

This isn’t a story that bridges seasons or tries to give the kids a new adventure, this is simply the tale of Will Byers while he was in The Upside Down during season 1.

The story was spread out over four issues and the comic was at least a nice way to get my Stranger Things fix, as there were no new episodes in 2018. It certainly wasn’t a replacement to a lack of live action episodes but at least 2018 wasn’t completely devoid of this cool franchise.

I loved the tone of the comic, it perfectly matched the show. The art was also damn good. I think what was coolest about this though, is that it felt like a real marriage between the styles of Stranger Things and Dark Horse Comics.

Dark Horse really does a superb job with the properties that they are commissioned to turn into comic book form and this is no different. In fact, it’s a solid reminder of just how good Dark Horse is when given the trust of a large and popular IP. While IDW has a lot of IPs under their banner, it is still Dark Horse that is at the top of the comic book publishing heap when it comes to adapting large franchises.

This is a really good companion piece to the first season of Stranger Things. And as far as I am concerned, this is canon, as it doesn’t contradict anything and it shows familiar events from a new perspective.

Rating: 7.25/10Pairs well with: the first season of the Stranger Things show.